Battle caught with simple possession of marijuana

The Clemson Insider has learned former Clemson left tackle Isaiah Battle was pulled over at 12:47 p.m. on June 11 by Clemson City Police for speeding and as a result was caught with simple possession of marijuana.

According to the incident report obtained by TCI, Battle was given a citation for speeding and for possession of marijuana, but did not go to jail nor was he charged with anything.

Clemson announced earlier on Thursday Battle will enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, though sources told us he left the team because this was the third and final strike for the senior left tackle. We were told, “He had no money left in the bank.”

Battle, who was suspended a couple of times in his Clemson career for on-and-off the field incidences, is the third Clemson player in the last month to find himself in trouble with the law. On Wednesday kicker Ammon Lakip was suspended indefinitely after being arrested on June 6 for DUI and possession of cocaine, while former Clemson defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko was arrested and charged on May 18 for Financial Transaction Card Fraud by the City of Clemson Police Department. He was later dismissed from the team by Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

The incident report reveals Battle was pulled over on Issaqueena Trail road at Patrick Square. Battle was driving his gray Chevrolet Suburban at a high rate of speed when the Clemson police officer pulled him over. Upon approaching the vehicle the officer smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

Battled was issued two citations for speeding and no proof of insurance. The officer then asked Battle about the marijuana smell coming from the vehicle and according to the incident report, “Battle stated there was no marijuana inside the vehicle and stated I could search it.”

During the search, the officer pulled out an orange and white tennis shoe, and upon grabbing the shoe’s toe he discovered there was something hard in it. He located a silver grinder inside the toe area. At that point, he again asked Battle if there was anything else inside the vehicle. Battle walked up and retrieved a black box from the console. Inside the box were three separate clear baggies with green plant material believed to be marijuana.

After that the officer went back to searching the orange and white tennis shoes and found another bag of marijuana. The officer found a total of 12 grams of marijuana in Battle’s suburban. No other contraband was found inside the vehicle.

Battled was issued another citation for simple possession of marijuana and was released. The marijuana was placed into evidence.

In the school’s official release on Thursday, Battle says he is entering the supplemental draft because of family reasons.

“I have some family matters to address, with a child due this summer, and I feel it is in my best interest to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft,” Battle said. “I want to thank everyone at Clemson, especially Coach Swinney and the assistant coaches, for what they have done for me the last three years. I also want to thank my teammates. They have all had a big impact on my career.”

Battle played in 27 games for the Tigers, 16 as a starter, over the last three years. That included 11 starts in 12 games last season on Clemson’s 10-3 team that ranked 15th in the final polls. He started four games on Clemson’s top-10 team of 2013 and played in five games as a freshman in 2012.

Battle came off the bench to play 73 snaps when Gifford Timothy was injured early against LSU in the 2012 Chick-Fil-A Bowl, helping the Tigers to a 25-24 win.

“We appreciate all that Isaiah has done for the program the last three years,” Swinney said. “He has made great progress in his development and has been a big contributor to our success the last three years, especially in each of the last three bowl games when he had outstanding games against very talented defensive lines from LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma. We wish him well in his pursuit of a professional career.”

Swinney said Battle’s departure will open an opportunity for true freshman Mitch Hyatt.

“This will create a great opportunity for Mitch as a true freshman,” Swinney said. “We liked what we saw from Mitch in the spring, and look forward to seeing his progress in August. We have other young offensive linemen who will also have a new opportunity for playing time.”

Clemson has not started a true freshman on the offensive line for the course of the season since 2004 when Barry Richardson started seven of the 11 games.

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